Eight Ways to Get Your Home Packed and Moved without Breaking Stuff

Moving to a new home is always an exciting and yet worrisome period. While a whole new experience awaits, the process of shifting is filled with “hows” and “musts” and “ifs.” How do we get those ornate mirrors across without a crack?

How do we move that heavy antique escritoire without shaking its drawers loose? Will it be ok if we tape together some flat plates? Here we give you eight ways in which you can pack and move to your new home without having to worry.

Boxes of the right size

One size really does not fit all. One of the first essentials that an efficient move requires is boxes of all shapes and sizes. Many of us pick up standard sized boxes discarded by grocery stores to save money, and while this works for some items it is not ideal for some others.

For that really precious heirloom cutlery or silverware, it’s better to buy sturdy moving boxes that allow items to be tightly packed leaving no space to be jolted around. Boxes are like clothes. If they don’t fit well, they don’t work.

Keep things where they are

Packing can be a very single-minded activity. Pick item, wrap, box. We can go on in this vein and forget that there are things we can do to save space or pack better. Why empty dresser drawers? Let the clothes remain there but pack tightly so that the drawers don’t slide out.

Leave those knives and forks in their trays and just wrap them up tightly. This leaves you with less organising when you reach your new home.

Make use of all the extra space

Space, even the tiniest of it, is crucial when it comes to packing. Pack every corner and hollow you can find. Even the vegetable box in your fridge.

It DOES make a difference. Stuff pillowcases with items you want to be kept together and fill socks with small bric-a-bracs that are important but not breakable. Line boxes with these items so that they provide additional padding and piping and also fit in snugly.

Disassemble and be safe

Sometimes a cupboard or bed might prove to be clunky while packing and end up requiring extra measures to keep it from breaking. But disassemble it, and it immediately becomes a far easier task. With the coming of Ikea, where all furniture is the sum of its parts, this should only get easier.

Don’t go by rooms

When you move, you need to pay attention to the items in the room and not the room itself. The age-old instruction to keep items in the room together is not the most sensible and simply not practical.

The comfort of recreating your old room as is, is alluring but what if you can put together a newer and better arrangement in the new home? Sorting things by category rather than by room not only helps you get a fresh look but also helps tremendously when you want to take out certain items when you reach your new home. Even Marie Kondo agrees.

Keep a list and mark your calendar

You cannot get your packing done in a day. When you know the date that you will potentially shift to your new home, work backwards and keep aside at least a week or 10 days or even more depending on the size of your current place.

Spread out the packing and make a list of what items will be packed on each day. Mark them on your calendar too along with related tasks that you will need to finish simultaneously like finding the right moving company or buying more packaging material.

Label like a pro

We often get caught up in packing meticulously and forget that once packed you are not bound to remember what’s inside. Labelling your boxes is one of the most crucial aspects of moving homes. Writing “clothes” on the box is perhaps not going to serve you as well as writing “Ben’s clothes from the first three shelves.”

Specifying the name, location, and contents of the box precisely helps you unpack and put away your stuff efficiently and quickly in your new home. Want to go one step further and impress the folks around you? Number every box and keep it as a list with descriptions. Not only will it give you the exact number of boxes but will also tell you exactly what’s in each one without having to move them each time to see the label.

Search out the safest moving company

Last but not the least, if you are not doing the move yourself then make sure you do plenty of research to find a reputable moving company. Don’t go for the first four or five star rated company you come across on Google to save time.

Read up on the fine print that includes damage policies and refunds. Ask your friends or neighbours. Get real recommendations if possible.

That’s it. With these tips, you should be all set for your move. Don’t forget to keep aside a box or two of essentials to open up when you reach your new home. Happy shifting!